“I often hear this complaint during consultations: 'I have the perfect breakfast and lunch, and I snack between lunch and dinner so there's not a long gap. I even make the perfect dinner and eat it. And then I have chocolate, cookies, cheese, sausage, and crackers.' Very often, overeating in the evening stems from a desire to relax, unwind, and de-stress. And with some patients, we discover it's a way to procrastinate,” explained Atamanova.
According to the doctor, to solve the problem, it is important to understand what need you are compensating for with food.
“It's crucial to ask yourself, between finishing dinner and deciding to overeat: What do I really want? Will I feel more relaxed and rested after overeating? Or will the things I need to do just disappear after eating? Once you answer this question, decide what to do with this information. A more mindful approach to snacking will reduce evening overeating over time,” the doctor explained.